Altitude Angel is to expand its existing EC (electronic conspicuity) sensor network to cover the majority of the United Kingdom by the end of the year, establishing foundations needed for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone flights in 2025. The network is currently used on the SKYWAY drone superhighway in southern and central England, and the nationwide expansion comes as the UK Civil Aviation Authority pursues a policy of rolling out Transponder Mandatory Zones (TMZ).
Intended for low-altitude and low-latency reception across England, Scotland and Wales, the EC sensor network is designed to support the safe integration of automated drones into the airspace. It will provide coverage of low-altitude ADS-B (on 1090MHz and 978MHz), FLARM, Mode-S, and drone RemoteID, providing real-time surveillance of aviation broadcast signals.
Subsequently, Altitude Angel will be able to layer the additional capabilities of its Arrow technology, specifically those sensors which can detect non-EC aircraft, to the towers to enable full automated BVLOS in 2025. This would mean any low-flying aircraft which are present (whether in a TMZ or otherwise) and not transponding, would still be detected by the network.
Data from the sensor network is designed for utilisation by new airspace users – such as drones and eVTOLs – but could also benefit traditional aviation audiences, at airports or by air navigation service providers. With data available in traditional formats, such as ASTERIX, as well as more modern formats for newer technology stacks, the network is highly versatile.
Altitude Angel is making the data from the EC sensor network available, for free, to nationally recognised research organisations and individuals on a limited basis for non-commercial, private use.
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